(Bandar Seri Begawan, 9th) Brunei's Minister of Health, Dato Isham, issued a message in support of the 2025 World Mental Health Day, calling on all sectors of society to pay attention to and strengthen the accessibility of mental health services, especially in the face of disasters and emergencies.
This year’s theme is: “Mental health care in disasters and emergencies”. The Minister pointed out that disasters and emergencies not only include natural disasters, conflicts, or public health crises, but also personal crises such as fires, accidents, and physical illnesses. These situations often have a severe impact on people's psychological, emotional, and mental states.
Dato Isham emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrated the vulnerability of mental health during crises. During the pandemic, psychological stress, anxiety, and trauma rose significantly, as reflected in the increased number of calls to the Hope Line 145, evidencing the psychological impact on society at that time.
The Minister stated that this year’s theme reminds governments everywhere to incorporate mental health into national crisis response and emergency action plans, because “psychological support not only saves lives, but also strengthens society’s resilience.” He stressed that psychological distress is a normal reaction in the face of crisis and anyone may be affected; therefore, the government must ensure that mental health services are easily accessible within basic healthcare and social care systems.
To achieve this goal, since 2024 the Ministry of Health has collaborated with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs to launch grassroots mental health training courses. Targeted trainees include village heads, community leaders, religious officers, and counselors, so they can provide psychological support at the community level.
In addition, the Ministry of Health is also implementing psychological first aid and mental health first aid training programs, to equip the general public with crisis psychological support skills. These two training programs are among the key priority measures under the second strategy of the Brunei Mental Health Action Plan 2022–2025, aiming to enhance the mental resilience of all people.
The Minister said in his message that the government will continue to promote mental health policy in a “whole-of-government, whole-of-society” approach, working with NGOs and the private sector to ensure that psychological support is provided as promptly and reliably as other emergency assistance whenever a disaster occurs.
He finally called on all citizens to take this opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to mental health, viewing it as a basic human right, and to work together with empathy and care to build a nation with greater mental resilience.
This year’s theme is: “Mental health care in disasters and emergencies”. The Minister pointed out that disasters and emergencies not only include natural disasters, conflicts, or public health crises, but also personal crises such as fires, accidents, and physical illnesses. These situations often have a severe impact on people's psychological, emotional, and mental states.
Dato Isham emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrated the vulnerability of mental health during crises. During the pandemic, psychological stress, anxiety, and trauma rose significantly, as reflected in the increased number of calls to the Hope Line 145, evidencing the psychological impact on society at that time.
The Minister stated that this year’s theme reminds governments everywhere to incorporate mental health into national crisis response and emergency action plans, because “psychological support not only saves lives, but also strengthens society’s resilience.” He stressed that psychological distress is a normal reaction in the face of crisis and anyone may be affected; therefore, the government must ensure that mental health services are easily accessible within basic healthcare and social care systems.
To achieve this goal, since 2024 the Ministry of Health has collaborated with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs to launch grassroots mental health training courses. Targeted trainees include village heads, community leaders, religious officers, and counselors, so they can provide psychological support at the community level.
In addition, the Ministry of Health is also implementing psychological first aid and mental health first aid training programs, to equip the general public with crisis psychological support skills. These two training programs are among the key priority measures under the second strategy of the Brunei Mental Health Action Plan 2022–2025, aiming to enhance the mental resilience of all people.
The Minister said in his message that the government will continue to promote mental health policy in a “whole-of-government, whole-of-society” approach, working with NGOs and the private sector to ensure that psychological support is provided as promptly and reliably as other emergency assistance whenever a disaster occurs.
He finally called on all citizens to take this opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to mental health, viewing it as a basic human right, and to work together with empathy and care to build a nation with greater mental resilience.